I'm a pragmatic optimist with disconcertingly eclectic interests and a pervasive sense of humor.
I live by the lake in Toronto, Canada with my daughter, a motley collection of dogs and a cat – all but myself and my daughter being of unknown origin.
After many successful years in business, I'm now focusing on a new career in writing. A voracious and discriminating reader, I have been preparing for authorship for a very long time.
Once More...From the Beginning is the first book I've brought before the public but there are more, pacing in the wings, impatiently waiting to take their turn on stage.
<p>New from the author of the multiple award-winning fantasy saga, <em>The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky</em>, winner of the <strong>Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Fall 2014 - Best Book in the Category of FANTASY</strong>....</p><h1><strong><em>The Children of Darkness</em> by David Litwack</strong></h1><p>Evolved Publishing presents the first book in the new dystopian series <em>The Seekers</em>. [DRM-Free]</p><h2><strong>[Dystopian, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Religion]</strong></h2><p><em>“But what are we without dreams?”</em></p><p>A thousand years ago the Darkness came—a terrible time of violence, fear, and social collapse when technology ran rampant. But the vicars of the Temple of Light brought peace, ushering in an era of blessed simplicity. For ten centuries they have kept the madness at bay with “temple magic,” and by eliminating forever the rush of progress that nearly caused the destruction of everything.</p><p>Childhood friends, Orah and Nathaniel, have always lived in the tiny village of Little Pond, longing for more from life but unwilling to challenge the rigid status quo. When their friend Thomas returns from the Temple after his “teaching”—the secret coming-of-age ritual that binds young men and women eternally to the Light—they barely recognize the broken and brooding young man the boy has become. Then when Orah is summoned as well, Nathaniel follows in a foolhardy attempt to save her.</p><p>In the prisons of Temple City, they discover a terrible secret that launches the three on a journey to find the forbidden keep, placing their lives in jeopardy, for a truth from the past awaits that threatens the foundation of the Temple. If they reveal that truth, they might once again release the potential of their people.</p><p>Yet they would also incur the Temple’s wrath as it is written: “If there comes among you a prophet saying, ‘Let us return to the darkness,’ you shall stone him, because he has sought to thrust you away from the Light.”</p><p><strong>Be sure to read the second book in this series, <em>The Stuff of Stars</em>, due to release November 30, 2015. And don't miss David's award-winning speculative saga, <em>The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky</em></strong></p>
I was sitting on the deck one summer afternoon, telling my daughter about a few of the more obscure details of biblical law Jewish scholars have chosen to debate over the years . . . laws that had long since lost their validity of application. I believe the important issue under discussion was whether chewing gum on the Sabbath was, or was not, considered work, to be condemned most vigorously. “You know,” I said, “you don’t need to go to the interpreters to find ridiculous . . . there’s plenty of ridiculous in the source itself.” How did I know? Well, I’ve read a lot about the bible since I decided in my teen years that I wasn’t prepared to accept any pre-packaged body of beliefs. I could hardly expect to think it out for myself without doing the research, could I? I have yet to find a single religion or philosophy to be without something important to offer. Nor have I found a single one that I could choke down whole, like an over-sized multi-vitamin tablet. I prefer to just keep the bits I can use. It keeps me honest. “Maybe I’ll write a book about it,” I said. “About what?” “About the Old Testament.” “Won’t it piss people off?” “I suppose. So what?” “Will it be funny?” “Sure. It’ll be funny.” “Go ahead.” So I did. I called it Once More…From the Beginning. Image via Wikipedia In order to be scrupulously fair, I was determined to build my book on the very words of the bible itself: the King James version – it’s the one most people recognize. So from the time I set pen to paper, I avoided reading anything written about the bible – pro or con. I wanted to read the words, not someone else’s interpretation of the words. The question people ask most often is: “How much of this stuff is actually in the bible, and how much did you make up for effect?” Well, the answer is: It’s all in the Old Testament. Every bit of it. I often don’t see eye to eye with the original in interpreting motivations, but the facts are all there. (I’m surprised that so many people ask, frankly. Haven’t they read it themselves?) I did notice one thing in my many romps through the pages of the Old Testament. It was hard to miss. While it was written my many hands, a very large proportion of those hands appear to be masculine. I’d estimate about 100%. Now, that seemed inequitable to me. We all know that men and women tend to see things differently. How would the events look through a woman’s eyes? Someone needed to balance the record. It might as well be me. And if the men suffer a bit in the translation – well, it’s about time. (Incidentally, my male readers have mostly taken the ribbing in good spirit. I wonder if we women could have been as gracious.) Reader response has been gratifying. All agree . . . it’s a very funny book. (I modestly resist taking all the credit. I was working with very funny material.) One reader suggested that it should be required reading in every bible school. Several warned that I was going straight to hell for sure. I think they were kidding.